The Washington House has passed a bill allowing the State Patrol to destroy guns confiscated during criminal investigations – one of several gun-control bills that moved forward Thursday.
The measure now headed to the Senate gives the WSP the option available to all other law enforcement agencies in the state – to keep, trade, auction, or destroy forfeited crime guns.
Passage followed a year-long investigation by The Associated Press that found more than a dozen weapons sold by state law enforcement agencies turned up in new criminal cases. Several Republican House members spoke against the bill, saying the guns should be sold and the revenues used to buy equipment or to fund the crime lab, but supporters successfully argued that it was too risky to put crime guns back on the streets where they could be used against the community or law enforcement officers.
Meanwhile, the Senate Law and Justice Committee sent to the full chamber a measure that limits the size of firearm magazines to 10 rounds in order to avoid the carnage that has been seen during recent mass shootings across the country. People who own larger magazines at the time of the bill’s final passage will be grandfathered in, but once the bill is in effect, the owners can not sell the magazines to anyone but a licensed gun dealer.
The committee also approved a measure requiring gun safety training for people who apply for a concealed carry permit. (AP)
